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Donna VanLiere uses language that rips your heart out and then leaves you rolling on the floor laughing. I wish I could quote all of my favorites but here are just a few. "I darted away from that hospital faster than a fish when you poke your finger in the water at it."

I really like this one too. "…the basket of good intentions you've been toting around, the trunk of dreams you've been pulling behind you-all of it is gone in an instant, and it's just you , naked, bare, exposed."

The protagonist, Ivorie, has to make a life changing choice after her mother passes away. She has to decide which man she's going to give her heart to and with Ivory, this isn't a simple decision because she never does anything halfway. A fine bachelor starts coming around and when he forces her hand, she describes it like this- "the katydids are singing in the tops of the trees but I no longer hear them, George's words have swallowed all the sound…This is the same man who had her swooning- "something sloshing around inside her every time he kisses her."

But there's another man, a little man who has been sneaking into her garden. She discovers a very young boy who is horribly abused, starving and has been sodomized.

Although she's been single all of her thirty years and would love to be with George, her heart goes to the little boy. She pulls him out of his shattered shell and embraces him into her life.

George wants nothing to do with it and although Olivia is sad, her life is too full with the boy to worry about some closed hearted man whose stuck in his ways and refuses to change.

My favorite part of this book wasn't just the story. It was the authors sumptous way with words. She knows how to paint with them. I loved her writing.

First of all, I should disclose that I am not a casual reader. My Amazon bill is large and reading is my number one hobby. It has been a very long time since I have read a book that touched me this deeply. It is simply some of the best literature I have encountered.

The story is heart wrenching and the author's expertise is nothing short of amazing. Her ability to develop the characters causes you to connect and bond with them immediately. From that moment forward, you won't put this book down. You truly feel like you are living in small town Tennessee in the 1950s. Her weaving of the culture, the landscape, the time period and the geography into the story is brilliant. She has the gift of turning words into a symphony that captures your emotion and interest at every turn.

This is a story that could play out in every American town and city today. So many children are neglected, abused, left to fend for themselves with no one to care. Sarah Ivorie is the saint that so many of us could be. She shows us that to unconditionally give of oneself brings great personal reward. Thank you Ms. VanLiere for a simply beautiful read. I have ordered two more of your books and anxiously await a sequel. Peter's future is very bright!

The Good DreamThere are books and there is literature... this one indisputably falls into the latter category. Many nights I had to make myself stop reading and turn off the light. This is hands-down the best book I've read in a long time. The basic storyline is nothing special. Old maid's mother dies and the old maid, Olivia, takes in an abused boy who she nurtures back to health and they live happily ever after. But, the way VanLiere tells a story is magical. When the mother's death notice was recited on the radio, VanLeire described Olivia's experience as having the air "sucked clean out of my lungs and I crumpled onto the table."She reminded me of days past when I was a new homeowner cutting grass with a push mower and seeing "The blades whir round and round and ... green grass shoots out from the silvery whirling edge... onto my legs and shoes."Another time she expressed a feeling that we've all had when something triggers a memory from our childhood "Nothing in this world rushes me back to childhood quicker than walking through the door at Henry's and breathing in the smells of bologna, cheese, onions, chicken feed,.....and huge jars of candy on the counter top." But, one of the most well-phrased and descriptive passage was when she described her encounter with the man who had abused the boy "[his]voice slithered up and wrapped its bony fingers around my spine and sank its teeth in my ears."This is a book to get lost in, but don't start reading until you can devote the time, because it will suck you in, swirl you around, shake you up, and leave you panting.

A story somewhat reminiscent ( for me ) of the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird"; the setting is a small Southern town, and the story focuses on one person committed to doing the right thing in spite of community opposition. There are amusing, likeable characters, and one that is truely despicable. Almost worth (5) stars, except for a rather rushed, unrealistic ending.

Sometimes, you'll read a book that just "speaks" to you. All along, you'll have to stop and ponder over a situation, or expression. For me, this book did just that! Growing up in the South in the 50's, I remember many people in my life who spoke, or thought like the characters in, The Good Dream. This book is LOADED with those old endearing Southern sayings that I heard everyday! If you related to, Steel Magnolias or Fried Green Tomatoes you will understand.There is sadness, and disgusting things are done in the very worst way, to a child. For me, it was very hard to read!!! Just be prepared for it. At the same time, you will read about unconditional love, and the measures that some people will do to show it!The main character, Ivorie is a true Educator! She works at a school and her love of children and education do shine through!!! Since I'm a teacher myself, I totally understood why Ivorie did some of the things she did. It was as natural as breathing to her!!!Although there were many inspirations, I'm left with one for sure: Just because life takes those we love out of our lives, if we open our hearts up enough, there just may be someone else who needs all the love you have to give!!!